Apparatus for handling and surfacehardening articles



April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS ErAL 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND suRFAcE-HARDENINc ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 Genera /0/- Inn/anions 305671 J Prefers John B. GuenJZ/Ler' and OSBJD/L U]. a?

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April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS Em. 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed'Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 J Q i W a i m 4 m 2 d z fi 3g 7 w x r 1 o m. 2 o o J J l 5 8 a 0 J a Z i j Q ...r o a .m w I. r LEI 9 Z w 1 5 m .0 A pw Q 1 M 4 M 9 9 45 w J 5 5 J R u x J 4 a w JG 1 H 2 w w RA 1 AAm/ nib DJ d 1 r n e 9 FL L 3 4. Q. HNLUH I {M 0 0 w 1%.; A .BJ 5 a w u 3 3 J, B j

April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS ETAL 2,634,121

' APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 4 m w ad NZ Q m m M M 2 x (w 7 M5 5 i E: w w a .i & J {D C figwd ll/ m fi I "m ,m 4 t AM r I); L. J E m w 5 M HWJOJ m g 1 April 1953 R. J. PETERS NETAL 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet e JETS J 1 M91 1/ 4 0 162 J66 J6] J4 J53 J J J25 M L m "T" I 112 I 124 134 E [ml/62721 0715 OJ'GJDA, Z1]. ollczrci April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS ET AL 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 l2 Sheets-Sheet 7 fnz/enfors/ BObGTZ' JPeferzs J0 A72 1?. Gueni/aer and asqp/z ZMPZZ April 1953 R. J. PETERS ET AL 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 8 f fnz/enlfors" B0567 Z J .Peiefa' 120 J0 A77. 1?. Guenifier and April 7, 1953v R. J. PETERS ET AL 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 9 fnveni'orzs" 305675 J Fe Zens kfo km E. Guerzf/Ler and Jsepk Z0. 0 Zara:

April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS ETAL 2,634,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 1o April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS ETAL APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed D80. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 11 Numb NR m min m d en wig ffiwwj hi5 Z? L WWW RJJ Q EG (32% ta 95.8mm

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April 7, 1953 R. J. PETERS ETAL APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE-HARDENING ARTICLES Filed D90. 15, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet l2 BOAGTZ, J Peiers' John H. G uenf/Ler and asap/4, P [lard Patented Apr. 7, 1953 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND SURFACE- HARDENIN G ARTICLES Robert J. Peters, Muncie, 1nd,, and John R. Guenther and Joseph W. Pollard, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 15, 1948, Serial No. 65,486

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling and surface-hardening articles.

An object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for supporting a plurality of articles to be surface-hardened, progressively moving the articles into inductive heat-treatin relation to an inductive heating device of the apparatus, inductively heat-treating surfaces of the articles, and quenching the heat-treated surfaces of the articles to complete hardening of these surfaces of the articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for handling and supporting a plurality of articles to be hardened, inductively heat-treating the articles, and quenching the articles, in an automatic cycle of operations.

Another object of the invention is the provision of mechanical handling and work-supporting equipment for articles to be surface-hardened, adapted to successively present the articles to induction heating coils for heat treating certain surfaces of the articles, and immerse the heattreated articles into a quenching bath.

' A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for mechanically handling a plurality of articles to be hardened and adapted to cooperate with heating and quenching units to successively move the articles into heat-treating and quenching relation therewith.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for handling and surface-hardening articles which is automatic in operation, and wherein a plurality of articles to be hardened are circularly arranged and successively moved into proximity of an inductor coil for heat treating and then deposited in a quenchingbath to complete the hardening operation; the aforesaid actions being performed in a predetermined fully automatic sequence of operations and in a continuous manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for mechanically handling and supporting a plurality of articles to be hardened in combination with an induction heating equipment, the mechanism comprising an indexing device with controls associated therewith and the induction heating equipment to automatically effect the presentation of the articles successively to an inductor coil of the induction heating equipment for heat-treating, to effect movement of the inductor coil into heating relation with each article to be heat-treated for a predetermined period of time, andimmersing each heat-treated article into a quenching bath at the conclusion of the heating period therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control system for the apparatus described and operative to control the automatic cycle of operations of the apparatus to effect heating of an article at one temperature, quenching the article, reheating the article at another temperature, and then quenching the article.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in an automatic control system for apparatus, such as described, wherein controls are embodied for preselecting the amount of inductive-heating current the generator of the inductive-heating device of the apparatus supplies to the article being heat-treated. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for heat-treating spaced projecting portions of an article and, upon refmoval of the article from the inductor coil, to effect simultaneous quenching of the spaced heattreated portions of the article to obtain uniform hardness and to avoid distortion or twisting of the spaced heat-treated portions of the article. The method and apparatus are of particular advane tage in uniformly hardening spaced projecting portions of an article, such as a shift fork of a transmission control system, which fork must have its tines in the same plane for reception in the shift collar of the transmission control system, the ends of the tines being subject to wear during shifting of the transmission from one speed ratio to another speed ratio. 3

The invention also contemplates improvements in inductive heating coils for use with induction heating equipment.

Other objects and advantages inherent in our improvements in method and apparatus for handling and hardening articles will become apparent from the following description in the specification taken with the drawings, in which:

l is a side elevation of the combined workhandling and surface-hardening apparatus of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the work-handling structure in Figs. 1 and 2, said section being taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section, of the drive mechanism of the work-handling structure, said section being taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of control mechanism, including indexing means, of the work-handling structure, these views being taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 illustrating the 3 mechanism in operative position, and Fig. 6 illustrating the mechanism in inoperative position;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of a portion of the control mechanism, the section being taken along the line T-i of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the portion of the control mechanism shown in Fig. '7,'the view being taken along the line 8-3 of Fig. 3, certain parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction Fig. 9 is a top view of the inductor coil .01 the induction heating equipment and mechanism for moving the same, and also one of the articleholding devices, of the work-handling structure,

the inductor coil-moving mechanism'being shown in section, said section being taken along the line 9 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the inductor coil and the article-handling device shown in Fig. 9, together with the quenching tank of the harden- .ing equipment;

Fig. 11 is a section taken through the articlehandling device shown in. .Figs. 9 and 10, the sections being taken along the line H-H of Fig- 10;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of the induction coil, and the article-handling device, shown in Fig. 10, to illustrate the adaptability of the apparatus in handling and heat-treating an article of different conformation than that shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. '13 is a view taken along the line |3--l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a front elevation of a portion of the induction heating equipment and illustrates details of the inductor coil and mechanism for moving the same, said view being taken along the .line I l-l4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 1.5 is a section taken along the line 45-4 of Fig. 14;

Figs. .1-6, 17 and .13 are views illustrating another type of inductor coil for heat-treating a difierent portion of the article to be hardened as well as an adaptor for use with the article-hold ing device-of .Figs. 9 and and capable of posi .tioning the selected portion of the article to be hardened in proximity to the inductor coil, Fig. 16 being a top plan view, Fig. 17 being a side elevation, and ,Fig. .18 being a View taken along the line .l8--l8 of Fig. 17 and showing the inductor coil in section to more clearly illustrate the arrangement;

Figs. 19,20, 21 and 22 illustrate still another type of inductor coil for heat-treating a different portion of the article to be hardened shown in Figs. '12 and '13, the coil being shown in heattreating relation to the article supported by the article-holding device, Fig. 19 being a top view of the inductor coil and article-holding device, Fig. 20 being a side View thereof, Fig. 21 being a view taken along the line 2i2l of Fig. 20 with the inductor coil being shown in section, and Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the inductor coil;

Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic View of the pneumatic or pressure air system for actuating various instrumentalities of the apparatus, the view also illustrating electrical devices for controlling the Valves of the system; and

Figs. '24, 25 and 26 are schematic views, taken as a whole, illustrating the electrical controls instrumental in eirecting automatic operation of our apparatus.

'- The embodiment of the invention illustrated inthe drawings maybe considered with respect to its principal components'by' referringto Figs.

4 1 and 2, in which a work-handling structure is indicated generally at A; an induction heating equipment indicated at B; a quenchin tank at C for heat-treating and quenching articles to be hardened; and a conveyor mechanism D for removing the hardened articles from the tank C. These components of our improved .apparatus have various controls associated therewith which are efiective, as hereinafter will be more specifically pointed out, to provide an automatic sequence of operations, wherein the work or artiole-handling structure A is operative to move articles to be hardened step by step into heattreating relation with an inductor coil of the induotion heating equipment B, and thereafter the heat-treated article is immersed by the workhandling structure A into the quenching tank C to complete the hardening operation, the workhandling equipment being particularly adapted for use in the practice of an improved quenching method hereinafter described, in which spaced projecting portions of the article to be hardened, such as the ends of the tines of ajshift fork, are simultaneously placed in contact with the quenching fluid in the quenching tank by the work-handlin equipment, to'instantaneously effect cooling by quenching of the two heattreated portions of the article to obtain uniform .irface-hardening of the article and the avoidance of twistin or distortion of the spaced portions of the article during quenching. The cycle or" operations described may be repeated continuously, if desired.

Considering now more specifically the various components of our .improved apparatus and referring first to the structure or mechanism A for presenting the articles to be hardened successively to the inductive heating equipment for heat-treating, the article-handling structure A comprises a rotatable turntable H), on which is mounted .a plurality of devices, indicated at H, for holding articles to be hardened, such as shift forks l2, rotation of the turntable H] causing the devices H to be successively .broughtadjacent to an inductor .coil 13 of the induction heat-treatin equipment B to position the shift forks in heat-treating relation thereto and thereafter moving each heat-treated article into the quenching fluid in the tank C. The turntable ID, on which the work-handlin devices H are mounted, :is an annular member and is adapted to be rotated by a cylindrical hub or sleeve l4 formed integral therewith centrally thereof. The lower extremity of the sleeve M is formed to provide a gear l5 having teeth meshing with a worm It (Big. 4) having its opposite ends mounted on bearings, supported in spaced walls of a casing 'i 'i, connected to a stationary base 18 (Fig. 3), the one end of the worm i6 extending outwardly of the casing and through the hub of a gear is. The gear i9 meshes with a gear 21! mounted at one end of the shaft 2 I, the other end of the shaft extendin within a speed reducer generally indicated at 22, the speed reducer having a pulley '23 driven by a belt 2 associated with a pulley 25 fixed to the shaft of an electric motor 26. The shaft 2| is suitably journaled at spaced points thereof in sleeve bearings in supports 2'! fixed to the base I8, as shown in Fig. 3. A clutch 80, hereinafter described, is utilized to provide a driving connection between the gear I9 and worm 16. It will be apparent that, upon energization of the motor 26 and engagement of the clutch 6B, the arrangement described will beefiective to rotate the turntable Ill. f

The turntable, including the hub It, is supported at its upper end by means of a collar 28 bolted thereto, the collar 28 being rotatably mounted on roller bearing 29, 29 supported on a cylindrical column 3E! disposed within the sleeve 1 4 and formed integrally with the base l8.

Control mechanism generally indicated at 3! and shown in Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6 is operative to control the rotation of the turntable and is efiective to prevent rotation of the turntable for a predetermined period of time after rotation of the turntable to bring one of the shift forks into heat-treating relation with the inductor coil l3 and thereafter to permit rotation of the turntable to position another of the shift forks for heat-treating by the coil I3. The control mechanism includes indexing mechanism for performing this function. The indexing mechanism comprises pin 32 receivable within any one of a plurality of openings 33 in the turntable it, there being an opening 33 in the turntable adjacent each of the work holders I I. When the pin 32 is received within one of the openings 33, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, the work holder device H on the diametrically opposite side of the turntable will dispose the shift fork l2 held thereby in a position to permit heat-treating of the same by the inductor coil [3.

It is desirable that each of the shift forks be positioned in induction-heating relation to the coil l3 for a predetermined period of time, and the indexing pin 32 is controlled to be periodically inserted in the successive openings 33 to prevent rotation of the turntable for the period of time required for inductively heating each of the shift forks l2, as they are sequentially brought into the vicinity of the coil it. For this purpose, the indexing mechanism further comprises a standard 3 1 fixed to the base It and provided at its upper end with hollow bosses 35 and 35 slidably receiving the indexing pin 32. The pin 32 has a collar 3'5 secured thereto by means of a screw, as shown in Fig. 5, said collar 3! engaging the upper end of a spring 38 seated at its lower end against the boss 35 and operative to urge the pin 32 upwardly into the aligned opening 33 in the turntable it. The lower end of the pin 32 is fixed at 39 to an armature at of a solenoid SI received within a coil 4! of the solenoid Si so that energization of the coil ill will cause the armature 49 to to be moved downwardly, and thereby remove the pin 32 from the opening 33, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The pin 32 may be held in its downward position, as shown in Fig. 6, by means of an L-shaped lever 42 pivoted as at 3 to the standard 3t and having a roller 44 at its upper end adapted to ride over and engage the top of the collar 31 when the other extremity of the lever 52 is moved downwardly.

It may be noted that the collar 31, fixed to the pin 32, has a lateral extension 45 engageable with a push button 45 actuating contacts in a switch SW1, when the pin 32 and thereby the collar 37 are moved to and from the turntable Ill. The purpose of this arrangement will become evident as the description progresses.

The extremity of the lever 432, remote from the roller it, is pivoted at 43 to a shaft 19 connected by a pin 56 to a rod 5| movably mounted in a sleeve 52 fixed to the standard 34. The lower extremity of the rod 5! is secured as at 53 to an armature 54 of a solenoid S2 disposed in a coil 55 of the solenoid, so that, upon energization of the coil 55, movement of the armature 54, rod 5|, and shaft-49 will cause the lever 42 to rotate about its pivot 43 to efiect engagement of the roller 44 with the top of the collar 31, as shown in Fig. 6, to hold the collar 3'! and thereby the pin 32 in its downward position, the solenoid SI being energized at this time. It will be apparent that, upon the energization of the solenoids SI and S2, the lever linkage described will be eifec tive to position the roller 44 to hold and maintain the collar 3! and thereby the index pin 32 in its downward position and out of the adjacent opening 33 in the turntable 10. Thus, should the solenoid S! be accidentally deenergized during rotation of the turntable, the lever and roller mechanism will be operative to prevent engagement of the pin with the turntable I0, thereby providing an effective safety feature. Surrounding the rod 5! is a spring 56 having its lower end seated against the top of the sleeve 52 and its upper end engaging a collar 57 fixed to the rod 5! for a purpose to be described. It may be noted that, when both the coils 4| and 55 are deenergized during machine operation, the spring 33 may become effective, through the lever linkage, to release the roller 44 from the collar fixed to the pin. and the spring 38 then can operate to move the index pin 32 into an opening 33.

Further control mechanism is provided for controlling movement of the pin 32 and the turntable it in sequential order during the cycles of operation, and this mechanism comprises a bell crank lever 53 pivotally mounted on the standard 34 and having the extremity of one arm thereof disposed within an opening 59 extending transversely of the rod 5i, the end of the other arm of the lever engaging a stop 60a on the clutch Ed, said clutch being of the single revolution type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,140,737. The clutch til is operative to automatically engage and disengage the driving power to the turntable ii transmitted to the driving gear l9 and the motor 26 at the same point of rotation of the gear it for each operating cycle of the apparatus A. In this case, each cycle may be considered to be the distance from one of the openings 33 to the next adjacent opening 33 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 during rotation of the turntable Ill. The construction and operation of this clutch are well known to those in the art, are described in the aforesaid patent, and, therefore, will be only briefly described.

Referring to Figs. '7 and 8, the gear H? has its hub 5! keyed to a collar 62 rotatably mounted on the shaft end 53 of the worm gear IS. The collar t2 has an outer driving sleeve or shell 64 connected to a radially extending flange 65 integral with the collar 52. The clutch also comprises an inner driven hub 65 which carries tripping mechanism Gl. A series of rollers 68 is held in position between the sleeve 64 and the hub (55 in a cage 59. The rollers furnish a driving contact between a hardened steel race on the sleeve 64 and a hardened steel cam 10 on the inner hub 55, and the rollers are moved into and out of driving contact by action of the cage 69 which is controlled by the trip cam H.

The hub 66 which carries the trip mechanism is keyed to the shaft 63 which is elfective, upon rotation, to rotate the Worm l5 and gear l5 to rotate the turntable, and this hub 65 is intermittently driven. The one end of the shaft 63 is provided with a gear 12 meshing with a gear 13. The crank lever 58 has the end of the vertically extending portion thereof rideable on the cam surface M of the cam H, which cam is 7 efiective to trip the clutch upon the end of the lever 58 contacting the step or stop 65c on the cam 76. At this time, the driven shaft 53 will continue to rotate approximately degrees but not more than 15 degrees to release the clutch. Dur ing this period, the trip cam H swings on a pivot pin 16, moving the trip block 37 to rotate the cage G9 with respect to the hub 58 and force the clutch rollers out of driving contact. The clutch remains in the released position as long as the lever 58 is in contact with the trip cam step 59a. When the lever is withdrawn, 9. spring 8Q, having one end fixed to the cam H and its other end to the hub plate ll, will snap the trip cam H into driving position and the clutch will pick up. the load without any slip or lag. The clutch will continue to drivev as long as the trip lever is held out of contact with the cam step and this can be one, two, or any number of complete revolutions of the shaft 63 drivingly connected to the turntable It. It will thus be apparent that the clutch mechanism is operative, upon engagement of the lever 58 with the cam stop eta, to prevent drive being transmitted from the gear iii to the shaft 53 and that, upon release of the lever 53 with the cam stop 690., the clutch mechanism will be effective to transmit rotary movement from the gear E9 to the shaft 53 to eifect movement of the turntable N3, the distance between two of the openings disposed adjacent each other in a counter-clockwise direction, and that, upon rotation of the turntable such distance, the lever 58 will engage the cam stop Silo to eifect release of the clutch and thereby disconnect the drive from gear iii to the shaft so.

Considering the arrangement of the intermittent operation of the driving mechanism just described in connection with the saf ty mechanism, including the lever linkage between the lever and the pin-locking roller it, it may be noted that the cam stop 55a is engaged by the lever to release the clutch and thereby the driving connection between the gear it and the shaft when the index pin 32 is positioned in the opening 33 in the turntable it as shown in Fig. 5, the solenoid Si being deenergized at this time to permit the pin 32 to be inserted in the opening 33 by the action of the spring 38. Referring to Fig. 6, it may be noted that the pin 32 is withdrawn from the opening 33 and that at this time,

the lever 58 is not engaged with the cam stop Gila so that the clutch will be engaged to eifect rotation of the turntable at this time. The lever 58 further being effectually prevented from engagement with the cam stop due to engagement of one extremity thereof with the opening 58 in rod 5i which is momentarily held at this time in downward position by the energized solenoid Si. At this time, the energized solenoid Si is efiective to move the armature it and thereby the pin 32 downward and to remove the pin 32 from the opening 33 in the turntable, and as the downward movement of the rod 5! by the solenoid SI is transmitted to the lever 52 by the shaft to position the roller i l in engagement with the collar 3?, the pin 32 will be maintained in its lower position in the event of accidental deenergization of the solenoid Si.

As previously described, the gear meshes with a gear 13. The latter gear is rotatably mounted on the standard 36 and has cams 8:2 and 83 at one side thereof and integral therew A lever 55 is pivotally mounted intermediate 1 ends at 35 to the standard 3e and has at one end thereof a roller 8,? rid ns n the p ip e y 3 o the, cam 83, said periphery having a dwell so come prising a flat surface engageable with the roller 37 upon rotation of the cam 83 by the gear '73 when the clutch 60 is engaged and the turntable rotates. The spring 56 urges the rod 5i upwards at all times, and the rod will exert force on the lever 85 to maintain the roller 81 in contact with the periphery of the cam 83. The opposite end of the lever 85 extends within an opening in the push rod 5| so that during rotation of the cam 83, the lever 85 will vertically move the rod 5! by movement of the lever caused by the engagement of the roller with the periphery of the cam 83. It may be noted from a consideration of Fig. 5 that, when the lever 53 engages the trip stop Etta of the clutch 6a to release the clutch, the clutch will be inefiective to transmitdrive from the gear it to the shaft {is to rotate the turntable or the gears 72 and 13, and the roller 87 will be engaged with the dwell 89 on the cam 83. At this time, the pin 32 is received within the opening 33 in the table to prevent rotation of the table during heating of a shift fork l2 by the coil i3. However, when the solenoid SI is energized to withdraw the pin from the turntable and the clutch is engaged to rotate'the turntable, the gear l3 will be rotated to effect rotation of the cam 83 in a clockwise direction and, accordingly, the roller 8? will engage the arcuate periphery 88 of the cam 83 to cause the lever 85 to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction to urge the rod 5! and shaft 68 downward against the action of the spring 5% and thereby cause the lever 2 to rotate and engage the roller a l with the top of the collar 3'? fixed to the pin 32 to maintain the pin 32 in its released position, thus providing positive mechanical means for maintaining the pin 32 in its downward position in the event the solenoid Si should be accidentally deenergized. However, it may be noted that, after rotation of the turntable the distance from one opening 33 to the next adjacent opening 33, the lever 53 will engage the trip stop the of the clutch 6i! to effect release of the clutch and disengagement of the driving connection between the gear i9 and the driven shaft 63, and that, at such time, the roller ill will engage the dwell S9 of the cam 83 to permit the rod 55 and the shaft at to be actuated upwardly by the spring 55 and thereby rotate the lever 52 about its pivot '43 to release the roller as from the collar 3'5, whereby the spring 38 may become effective to push the index pin 32 upward into the opening 33.

During rotation of the gear 73, the cam 32 on the gear '53 engages a roller 9i at one end of a lever 92 pivoted intermediate its end at 95, the lever having its upper electricity-conducting arm engageable with contacts 9% and 95 of a switch SW2 forming a portion oi the electrical control system hereinafter described. It may be noted that in the arrangement disclosed in Fig. 5, wherein the clutch 59 is disengaged and the index pin 32 is positioned within an opening 33 in the turntable It, the gear and thereby the cam 82 have been rotated so that the high point of the cam 82 is in contact with the roller 9i to break the engagement of the lever with the contacts 95. and to engage the lever with contacts 94. When the clutch 653 is engaged and the pin 32 is withdrawn from the opening 53, as shown in Fig. 6, the roller 9! en ages the arcuate surface of the cam 32, and the lever at will rotate and be disengaged from the contacts M and engage the contacts 95, for a purpose to be described.

Referring now to Figs, 3, 9, l0 and 11, each of the work-holding devices H of the work-handling equipment is identical, and for this'reason, it is believed that a detailed description of only one of them is necessary for the purpose of disclosure. It is believed that a detailed description of the two devices shown in Fig. 3 at opposite sides of the turntable i and including reference to the enlarged views (Figs. 9, i0 and 11) of one of the devices will be sufficient to provide an adequate disclosure. Referring to Figs. 2 and 10, the device II comprises a lever I08 pivotally mounted on 'pin IOI fixed to spaced-supporting brackets I02 on the turntable ll! of the work-handling apparatus, the lever I00 having a horizontally extending arm I63 to which is connected a mechanism I04 for holding and releasing a shift fork I2. The mechanism I04 comprises a hollow casing (Fig. 11) providing a piston chamber I25 receiving a piston IE6 having a piston rod I09 connected thereto. A cap is threaded into one end of the casing I 04 to seal the open end of the chamber and has one end of a spring Ids seated thereagainst, the opposite end of the spring extending through the piston I25 and being received within the tubular piston rod I02 and abutting the wall II 9 of said rod to normally maintain the piston in the position shown in Fig. 11. The casing is provided with a passage III for air under pressure and communicates with the chamber I25 in the casing I04 to urge the piston H38 toward the left against the action of the spring I28. The piston rod I09 is slidably mounted in a hollow extension II2 of the casing I04 and extends ou wardly thereof. The outer extremity of the piston rod I09 is formed with a recess II3 for receiving a spring-actuated member H4 pivoted as at II-d to the rod I09 for downward movement by a spring I I6 positioned. and confined between the member II4 and the end II! of the rod 509.

It may be noted from an inspection of Figs. 9, 10 and 11 that the shift fork I2 is mounted upon the outwardly extending extremity of the piston rod I29. The fork comprises a Y-shaped member having spaced tines I I8 and I IS, with the extremities of the tines being thickened as shown in Fig. 9, these thickened ends bein designated as I2i and being adapted, upon assembly with a transmission control system, to engage a shift collar or gear for moving the shift collar or gear to institute or release a change speed condition of the transmission. The ends I thus normally are subjected to wear, and it is desirable that these ends of the fork be hardened to withstand wear.

,The fork I2 is normally fixed to a shift rail, and, for this purpose, is provided with an opening I2I therethrough for fitting the fork on the conventional shift rail or shaft of the transmission control arrangement. The top of the fork is provided with an upstanding flange I 22 having a recess I23 formed therein for receiving a shift lever conventionally employed by the operator of the vehicle to permit the manual selection or release of a speed ratio change of the transmission. The end of the shift lever is movable in the recess I23 of the flange I22 of the shift fork so that the portion of the flange I22, defining the recess i 3, is subjected to friction and consequent wear by the shift lever. It is, therefore, desirable to harden the surfaces of the flange I22, defining the recess I23 to resist such wear.

In Figs. 3, 9 and 10, the shift fork is held by the mechanism I04 of the device If for hardening the enlarged extremities I of the tines IIS and I I9 of the shift fork I 2 by positioning the extremity of the tubular piston rod I09 within the opening I2I in the shift fork, the compressive effort of the spring H6 causing the member II 4' to securely hold the shift fork I2 on the rod I09. To prevent the shift fork I2 from rotating, an angle member I24 (Fig. 11) is bolted at I25 to the casing of the mechanism I64, with the member I2 5 seated against the casing, as shown, and the member 2 5 is provided with a slot I26 receiving the flange E22 on the shift fork I2 (Figs. 9 and 10). Due to the yieldability of the spring I I6, the shift fork may be readily mounted upon the rod Ifl il by manual effort and can be removed therefrom, upon the admission of air under pressure to the passage I I which will force the piston I06 and thereby the rod its to the left as viewed in Fig. 11, and, as the shift fork abuts against the tubular extension I I2 of the casing, the shift fork I2 will be released from the holding device I I.

The lever I00 has an arm I21 extending upwardly at an angle to the arm I03 thereof, and the extremity of the arm I2'I abuts against a piston rod I28 connected to a piston I28a of a pneumatic device I23 so that, after heat-treating of the shift fork I2 adjacent the coil I3, the admission of air through a tube I280 to device I29 will cause the piston mm to move outwardly of the device I29 to move the lever I00 in a counterclockwise direction to plunge the heat-treated shift fork I2 into the quenching fluid in the tank C. At such time, a plate I3I, fixed to the lever I00 at its, pivotal connection IM to the turntable it will engage the extremity of a movable valve body E32 of a valve I33 to open the valve I33 to permit air under pressure to pass through a conduit I34 to the passage III in the casing, whereupon the piston I08 will be actuated to effect release of the shift fork from the holding device II. The valve I33 is connected to a conduit I33a which communicates with an opening I33b in the collar 28 fixed to and rotatable with the turntable I0. All of the openings I33b communicate with an annular groove or passage I330 of a hub member fixed to the upper end of the stationary column 30, and the groove I33c communicates with a pipe I33d extending downwardly in the stationary hollow column 30 and through an opening at the lower end thereof and connected to the supply of air under pressure. Thus, it will be apparent that, as the collar 28 has a plurality of openings I33b, one associated with each valve I33, the piston I06 of each of the work-holding devices II can only be operated by air under pressure to eject the associated fork I2 therefrom when the lever I00 of the device II, in proximity to the coil I3, is operated by the pneumatic device I29 to rotate the lever and thereby cause the plate I3I to engage and move the valve body I32 of the associated valve I33 to place the air under pressure in communication with the piston and cylinder mechanism I94 of the device II. It will thus be evident that each heat-treated shift fork I2 is released from the mechanism I04 of the associated holding device II only after the shift fork I2 is immersed in the quenching fluid in the tank C, when the plate I3I on the lever I00 will contact and move the valve body I32 of the valve I33 to admit air pressure to the mechanism I04 of the device II.

It may be noted from a consideration of Figs. 3, 9 and 10- that the turntable I0 is provided with slots I35 therein at the respective devices II to permit passage of the arms I03 of the levers I00 through the table to plunge the heat-treated forks I2 into the tank C. To return each lever I00 to its normal position, the air under pressure ii in the pneumatic device I29 is exhausted through a conduit I280 and a spring I35 having one end attached to the lever arm I03 and its other end attached to a post I31 fixed to the turntable It, will operate to raise the arm I03.

Forcibly immersing the inductively-heated fork I2 in the quenching liquid is of considerable advantage in obtaining the uniform hardening of the heat-treated surfaces of the shift fork I2. Qrdinary quenching, in which an inductively-heated fork is simply dropped or falls by gravity into the quenching liquid, not only causes soft spots in the heat-treated surfaces thereof but distorts the fork inasmuch as the quenching liquid, contacting the heated fork, will form bubbles adhering to the heat-treated surfaces, with the result that the bubbles act as an insulating medium preventing the quenching liquid engaging and thereby properly cooling the surfaces to provide uniform hardening of the surfaces of the fork. It has also been observed that, where two spaced parts of an object, such as the tines of the shift fork, are heat-treated and simply dropped into the quenching liquid, the bubbles adhere to some portions of the heattreated spaced parts or tines, while the quenching liquid contacts other heat-treated portions of the same whereby the liquid-engaged portions of each of the spaced portions of the article or tines of the forks are cooled more rapidly than the portions thereof having the bubbles formed thereon, with the result that uneven cooling is had of the heat-treated parts or tines which causes distortion and twisting of the parts or tines. This undesirable feature is avoided by the present method of quenching of the heat-treated article or shift fork due to the rapid motion of the shift fork I2 through the quenching medium by the arm I03 of the lever IIlIl which is operative, upon actuation by the piston rod I 28 of the pneumatic device I29, to sweep the shift fork through the quenching liquid in the tank C.

More specifically, bubbles are formed on the entry of the heat-treated fork I2 into the quench bath and will adhere to the surfaces of the fork. The lever arm I03 sweeping the fork through the quenching fluid causes these bubbles to be swept away from the surfaces of the fork, and the quenching fluid can reach the fork to provide a uniform quenching of the surfaces. The arm is actuated by pressure rather than gravity and causes the fork to enter the quenching fluid much faster than it would if the arm were moved by gravity. It will be apparent that the movements of the fork in air, and water or other liquid, due only to gravity, is considerably dif-' ferent, whereas in forcibly immersing the fork as described, movement of the fork is substantially constant in air and in any liquid-quenching medium. Thus, movement of the fork only by gravity will not sweep away the bubbles, adhering to the fork, but the forcible immersion of the fork as described will sweep away these bubbles to permit the quenching liquid to reach the surfaces of the fork and uniformly cool the same. The elimination of the bubbles is very desirable, as the bubbles form an insulation between the quenching liquid and the heat-treated surfaces or portions of the fork, causing these surfaces or portions to be cooled at a much slower rate than the heat-treated surfaces or portions contacting the liquid itself and, as a result, the variations in cooling of the portions or surfaces having the bubbles insulating the same from the liquid and the liquid-engaged surfaces of the fork 12 will cause distortion and twisting of the fork, and thereby this method and apparatus is of particu lar advantage in uniformly cooling heat-treated surfaces of articles.

As will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3, the pneumatic device 29 is mounted on a bracket 538 bolted to and supporting the 'cover 539 for the work-handling apparatus A, the bracket 538 being fixedly supported on the top of the stationary column 38, as shown. As seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the cover :39 has "a. depending flange having an opening I iii "at the left-hand end thereof to permit the operator to mount the shift forks on the exposed work-holding devices ii, and an opening lei is also provided in the cover its adjacent the induction heating equipment indicated at B to permit the shift forks to be disposed in heat-treating relation to the coil 53 of the induction heating equipment B. Se cured to and movable with the piston rod I28 of the pneumatic device 829 is an arm iZI'a for operating a push button 242 actuating contacts of a switch SW3, fixed to the cover I 39, for a purpose to be described.

As previously described, upon completion of heating the fork l2 at the heat-treating station by the inductor coil I3, the heat-treated fork is plunged into the quenching liquid in the tank C and thereafter the shift fork is released from the associated holding device H by the operation of the piston Hit of the device I I. The shift fork i2 is then carried upward by a belt I 43 of a conveyor system D in the tank C and deposited on a slide its for movement toward and reception on a table N55. The belt I43 is mounted upon rollers having associated sprocket pulleys its and It? connected by chains, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the pulley It? may be continuously driven by means of an electric motor (not shown) Referring now to the induction heating equipment designated generally at B and shown in Figs. 9, 10, 15 and 16, this equipment comprises a conventional high frequency generator including a transformer having conventional primary and secondary links, with the primary link connected to a suitable source of periodically Varying current and inducing voltage and currents at radial frequency in the one-turn secondary or output link its (Figs. 9 and 15). The current is carried to the inductor coil I3 and a large magnetic current is induced within the work coil. This is accomplished by spaced electrodes I50, I5! receiving therebetween and secured to the parallel end walls H12 and I53 of the cylindrical secondary link its. A plurality of insulating washers we are disposed between the walls I52 and I53 to prevent the passage of current from one electrode to the other. Each of the electrodes it?! and HM are hollow for permitting the flow of cooling fluid therethrough. The inductor heating equipment described is of conventional design and is well known to those skilled in the art; accordingly, it is believed a brief description thereof will suffice for purpose of disclosure.

As shown in Figs. 9, l4 and 15, electrodes I50 and I5! have mounted thereon the inductor coil I3, which comprises a pair of spaced copper con ductors and I56 connected by a copper tube I50 and fastened to respective electrodes by bolts 55?, the coil !3 being movable in a vertical direction as hereinafter described. Each of the conductors i 55 and I55 are of a wavy or undulate formation, and the ends Q20, E28 of the tines H8 and H9 may be disposed between the conductors with eachof the tine ends received between the adjacent outer crests of the waves of the conductors for inductive-heating when the conductors are in their lower position as seen in Fig. 1 movement of the coil i3 upwardly will dispose the conductors I55 and lbd, out of inductive heating relation with the tine ends, as the tine ends will be positioned in the valleys between the crests of the waves of the conductors. To cool the electrodes I55 and l5l and the conductors 255 and 56, cooling fluid is adapted to enter the conduit I58 and flow through the hollow electrode 15!, tube I59 communicating with the interior of the hollow conductor I55, and tube 5% connecting the conductors I55 and I56 providin a passage between the lioilow interiors thereof, and thence through the conductor I55 to a tube I ii connected to the interior of the electrode lfiil, the fluid then passing from the electrode I59 to a tube I62 surrounding the secondary link I49.

The induction-heating equipment is provided with mechanism for raising and lowering the secondary link and thereby the inductor coil I3 into and out of heating relation with the ends I25, 2 2i] of the shaft fork I2 positioned adjacent the coil i3 by its associated device it. For this purpose, the electrodes I56 and E55 are respectively received within and extend through an opening I53 in a plate I65, and inasmuch as the walls I52 and I53 of the secondary link I49 are secured to the electrodes ifiil and let, respectively, spaced plates I 65 and the of an insulating material may be secured to the cylindrical portion of the link M19 as at tell, as shown in Fig. 15, and each of these plates have one end thereof abutting against and ecured to the plate i 56 of non-conducting material as shown at we (Figs. 9, 14 and 15) The plate I6 3 is secured by screws I69 to a crossbar ill? and hollow bosses Il'i slidably receiving shafts H2 disposed at opposite sides of the plate i6 3. The opposite ends of the shafts I72 are received within and fixed to hollow bosses I13 of a rectangular frame I74 secured by bolt and nut assemblies I75 and 76 to the front wall I77 of the generator casing. Referring to Figs. 14 and 15, a pneumatic device I78 comprises a cylinder I19 mounted on the frame I I4 and front wall II'I of the casing and a movable piston E88 fixed to the crossbar I'iil connected to plate IE4 supporting the electrodes, as shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the pneumatic device 218 being centrally disposed between the bottom ends of the frame I14 fixed to the front wall of the generator casing.

A conduit ISI is connected to the cylinder Ii9 of the device I 78 for providing air under pressure to the cylinder to move the piston and thereby the plate its upwardly. As a result, the plate I64, the plates I85 and let, the secondary link IE9, the electrodes I59 and iii! and inductor coil I3 will be moved upwardly to position the coil I3 out of heating relation with the ends of the tines H8 and H9 of the fork I2. The air under pressure is released from the cylinder Ills through the conduit ISI, whereupon the weight of the induction-heating structure and the means for slidably mounting the same therefor on the rails or shafts I'I2 will cause the inductor coil I3 to move downwardly into heating relationship with the shift fork I2. It may be noted from a consideration of Fig. 14 that the sides of the crossbar I II! have secured thereto outwardly extending arms I82 and E83, the arm I82 engaging a button I84 of switch SW4 when the crossbar Ill! and plate I64 is in their lower position and the coil I3 is in heating relation to the fork, and the arm iii) 14 I83 engaging a button I86 of a switch SW5 when the plate I64 is in its raised position and the coil 63 is removed from the fork I2. The purpose of this switch arrangement will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Referring to Fig. 23, the pneumatic or pressure air system there shown includes valves for controlling the operation of the pneumatic assembly I78 for raising or lifting the inductor coil of the induction heating equipment out of heat-treating relation with the heat-treated fork, the pneumatic assembly I29 operating the lever IOU of each fork-clamping and releasing device to plunge the heat-treated fork into the quenching fluid in the tank 0, and the pneumatic assembly N4 of the device II to release the fork in the quenching fluid in the tank C.

More particularly, a source of air under pressure communicates with the air supply conduit ASC and flows through conduits ACI and AC4 and can flow through either of the conduits AC2 and AC3 by operating the valve V2. The air flows through the conduit ACI to a valve VI having a movable valve element We; in a cylinder Vlb having its passage We in communication with the conduits ACI and I8I, the air flowing through the conduit IBI to actuate the piston I of the pneumatic assembly I18 to raise the in due-tor coil out of heating relation to a heattreated fork. A solenoid S3 has a coil 83a receiving an armature 83b connected to the valve element VI a so that, upon energization of the coil, the armature will raise the valve element to permit the air in the assembly I18 and conduit I8! to be exhausted through the exhaust port Wit and to prevent the flow of air through the valve element to the assembly I18, whereby the inductor coil will move downwardly by gravity into heating relation with a shift fork.

Air also flows through the conduit A80 to a valve V2 having a movable valve body V2a in a cylinder V2b, the valve body We being moved upwardly by an armature Sda of a solenoid S4 upon energization of its associated coil S422, whereby the passage V20 in the body Via connects the conduits A80 and A02 to permit the flow of air through the conduit AC2 to the valve V3 to raise the movable valve body V3a in the valve cylinder V'Bb upwardly against the action of the spring in said cylinder for admitting air into the conduit I280 and to the piston I28a of the pneumatic assembly i 29. The piston 128a and rod I28 will move to the left to actuate the lever I09 to plunge the heat-treated shift fork into the quenchbath. To move the piston I28a and rod I28 to the right to their normal positions, the solenoid S4 is deenergized and the valve body V2a will move downwardly under the in fiuence of gravity, to connect its passage V2d with the conduits ASC and AC3, whereupon air under pressure will flow through the conduit AC3 to raise the valve body V ta against the action of the spring in the cylinder V41) to permit the air to flow through the conduit I28b into the assembly I29 forcing the piston I28a and rod I28 toward the right, the lever Hill of the device II thereupon being returned to its normal raised position by the spring I36. It may be noted that, upon the flow of air being cut oif to either the valve V3 or V4, the air in the conduit from the valve V2 to the valve will flow through the conduit to the exhaust port in the cylinder V2a of the valve V2 and the associated valve body will be moved downwardly by its spring, whereupon the air in the cylinder of the assembly I29 will be exhausted through the conduit from the assembly to the valve upon movement of the piston I28a toward the end of the assembly connected to this conduit.

The pneumatic assembly its of each forkclamping and releasing device H is also connectible to the conduit ASC. Air under pressure flows from the conduit ASC through conduit AC4 to the cylinder Vita and movable valve element V511 of the valve V5. The valve element V5b is connected to the armature 85a within a coil b of a solenoid S5, which, when energized, will cause the valve element V51) to move upwardly whereby the passage V in the element will connect the conduits AC4 and MM to permit the flow of air through the conduit 533d to the annular passage I330 in the stationary hub mem her and one of the circumferentially-spaced openings I33b in collar 28 rotating with the turntable It and devices II. scribed, upon positioning of each fork-clamping and releasing device adjacent the inductor coil and actuation of the outwardly projectin valve body I32 of the valve I35 by the plate ISI on the lever I90 at the limit of its downward movement to immerse the heat-treated fork in the quenching fluid in the tank C, the opening of the valve I33 will permit air to how therethrough and the conduit I34 into the cylinder of the pneumatic mechanism 104 of the device II, whereupon the piston I56 and rod I59 will be moved to release the fork from the rod 309. Upon deenergization of the solenoid 85, the valve element V5?) of the valve V5 will move downwardly by gravity to prevent passage of air through the valve and to allow the air under pressure in the passage I33d to flow through the exhaust port in the cylinder V5a in the valve V5, the piston 555 and rod it9 of the assembly lfl l being actuated by the spring 58 to move the rod Hi9 outwardly for mounting another shift fork thereon.

Figs. 16 to 18, inclusive, illustrate an inductor coil I88 for heat treating the surface defining the recess I23 in the flange of the shift fork I2,

and also a fixture I89 for positioning the fork I2 I on the device II in heating-induction relation to the inductor coil I88. Referring to the forkholding device II shown in Fig. 11, the angle member I24 can be removed therefrom by removing the bolt I25, and the fixture I85 may be mounted on the casing of the device I I by positioning the same thereon, as shown in Fig. 18, and replacing the bolt I25 to securely maintain the fixture I89 on the casing. As shown in Figs.

16, 17 and 18, the fixture I89 comprises a vertical wall I98 seated against the end of the casing and having a laterally-extending flange I9I secured to the top of the casing by bolt I25. The wall I 95 has an opening therein for receiving the tubular extension II2 of the casing, and the wall I95 merges at its lower end with a wall i932 underlying the tubular extension H2 or the casing. The wall I92 merges with a downwardly extending plate I93 having studs I95 extending laterally therefrom at the bottom thereof adapted to engage the inner facing sides of the ends I25, I25 of the fork I2 to prevent rotation of the fork and to position the fork in heating relation with the inductor c'oil I88 now to be described.

The conductors I and I56 forming the inductor coil I 3 are detachably mounted upon the electrodes I 55 and I5I and can be removed by detaching the bolts I51 securing the same to the electrodes I59 and I5I. The coil iBB may then be mounted on and attached to the electrodes.

As previously de- The inductor coil I88 is a horseshoe-like plate, with the extremities of the legs I95, I being secured to the electrodes I55 and l5I by bolts 95 as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. The portion I91 connecting the legs I55, I95 is provided with an opening I58 receiving the upstanding flange I22 of the shift fork I2, and a projection I99 extends from the connecting portion I91 into the recess 523 of the shift fork 2, with the extremity of the projection being disposed in close proximity to the surface defining the recess in the fork I2 and also to the adjacent extremities of the legs i915, I95 so that a large flux will be produced for heating the surface defining the recess I23 in the fork. The inductor coil I88 is formed with a continuous passage 2% in the legs I95, A55 and connecting portion I97 thereof, and this passage extends entirely around the outer periphery of the coil for conducting quenching fluid through the coil introduced into the coil through the tube 265a and passing from the coil through a tube 25 I.

Referring to Fig. 18, it will be noted that, when the inductor coil I88 is mounted upon the electrodes Hit and I5i as described, it may be moved in a vertical direction to bring the coil in heattreating relation with the recess I23 in the shift fork i2, and thereafter the coil may be raised out of heating relation to the fork I2, whereupon the work-holding device II will operate to plunge the shift fork into the quenching fluid in the tank C in the same manner described with respect to the hardening of the ends of the shift fork.

Our improved apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12, 14 and 15 can be utilized to handle and harden another type of shift fork 292 which is shown in Figs. l2, l3, 19, 20 and 21 .and is of different configuration than the previously-described shift fork I2. The fork 282 is of H-shape configuration, with the body portion 283 being in vertical alignment with one of the legs 254, the other leg 2S5 being laterally offset from the body 253 and extending arcuately downward with the thickened end 255 thereof being aligned with the thickened end 25? of the leg 2M. The body portion 203 has an opening 258 therein for receiving the piston rod I59 connected to the piston 05 extending outwardly of the tubular sleeve N2 of the cylinder casing for the piston for mounting the fork on the device II. The other extremity of the shift fork 202 is provided with a head portion 259 laterally offset with respect to the plane of the body portion 263 of the shift fork, as shown in Figs. 12, i3 and 20, and the head portion 269 is provided with a recess 210 for receiving the extremity of a shift lever (not shown) of a transmission control system, and the surface defining the recess 2|!) in the shift fork is thus subject to wear by the friction encountered upon movement of the end of the shift fork relative thereto in moving the shift fork to and from a speed ratio-changing position thereof. Figs 12 and 13 show the shift fork 2932 positioned on the work-holding device II, with the ends 256 and Zill of the legs 254 and 255 of the fork positioned between the two conductors I55 and H53 forming the inductor coil I3 for heat treating the ends. A fixture 2 I I is provided for maintaining the fork 252 in this position and to prevent rotation of the shift fork. The fixture 2H is substantially identical to that previously described as fixture I24 (Fig. 11) but differs therefrom by having a recess 2E2 in one of the walls thereof for receiving the head portion 209 of the 

